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Birthday cake planning

Toby's third birthday is coming up next month, and he's obsessed with it this year. Needless to say, we've daydreamed a LOT about the birthday cake. Since I'm not a big baker, I wasn't sure what to make (last year, we just served strawberries!). But at the playground the other day, my friend Maureen revealed a genius idea...
She's not a big baker either, so for her son's third birthday, she served a donut cake. The instructions are simple: Buy a box of donuts and stack them up. That's it! Apparently it was a huge hit, and all the kids talked about it for weeks afterward. She also served a box of donut holes for the parents to snack on. Brilliant, right? It's cheap, easy and delicious—basically, as Maureen said, "it ticks all the boxes."Now the only question is what flavor donuts to buy!

What cake or dessert you prefer for birthdays? Any fun ideas? My sister always requests pumpkin pie, and I once got cheese:)

130 comments:

I always make a sponge cake with fresh fruit and lots of whipped cream ( not a big fan of icing). For my daughter's 2nd birthday cake we went to old fashioned sweet shop (we live in Ireland) and got a variety of different sweets,candy ands so on in different shapes and used them then to decorate the cake:)

What a lovely idea! Now I want one of those cakes for MY birthday! ;)Since I'm a huge ice-cream and chocolate fan my mother would buy a huge chocolate ice cream piece (I don't know the word in English, sorry, but you get the meaning, right?) and she would put the candles on top of it. Then, I would blow the candles and she will quickly make ice cream sandwiches with my favourite cookies and the chocolate ice cream for all of us!!! It was a bit messy but I loooooved it!!! And my childhood birthday pictures are so funny, chocolate ice cream everywhere! :)xo,E.www.theslowpace.com

My dad always bakes me a devil's food cake with chocolate-almond frosting, and then I add the tiny round sprinkles when he's finished. However, the best cake I ever received was when I lived in Spain for four months and my host mother bought me a little ice cream cake to share with my roommates. The cake, paired with the Spanish beer my host dad bought me (the only beer I drank in the house the entire semester!), was a delight to eat mostly because of the nostalgia and love surrounding the occasion. I won't ever forget that birthday!

My nephew doesn't really like cake, but he loves donuts! So for his 4th birthday in February, my sister made a donut cake just like this! She arranged plain glazed donuts and chocolate glazed donut holes on a platter and put candles on it. My nephew and niece loved it!! Such a great idea.

If you are a good baker and up for a new challenge you could make a doughnut cake with the recipe Yeast Baked Donuts from the blog, Wild Yeast. My husband made them the other weekend and they were melt in your mouth delicious.

I got donuts from the Doughnut Plant (on 23rd and 7th) for my boyfriend's birthday this year!! It was less stress than baking, and so much easier to transport to the restaurant we had a group dinner at. Also very easy to share - and everyone got to try a bunch of flavors! Worked like a charm for a 26 year old, so I'm sure a 3 year old would be just as happy :)

My mom always baked a girl out of buns - making a braid out of the dough and arms and legs (with showlaced shoes on) and a big bun for the head with dough eyes and mouth, and then the body as a triangle of out round buns. (hard to explain, sorry). It is actually quite simple and I usually helped her (my favorite thing was making the shoes) and always so entertaining conversations - "Please pass me a piece of leg" or "Would anyone like to have the last piece of braid?"

we did this for my mom + son last year, since both are not huge fans of birthday cake and it was a hit! actually now since we made creme brulee for the first time last christmas/my birthday, that's the only dessert anyone wants for their birthday. this summer while we're in Paris for my son's birthday, we're on the prowl for the best creme brulee in the city :)

Three already. Big man. Hope he gets the birthday cake of his dreams. Donuts are a great idea. We have this bakery called Top Pot in Seattle that makes the best donuts. I wouldn't mind stacking them up and eating them.

We made donuts for my birthday once! Maybe something fun to do once he's older, the hot oil might be too much excitement right now (and too much work) but there's nothing better than a still piping hot donut!

My sister took my nephew to a donut shop last week for the first time. When he opened up his treat and saw the sprinkles he whispered, "Mom, this is just like Christmas Eve..." He's about 5 months older than Toby so you can imagine how much her heart melted. Go with sprinkles:)

Great idea! Another low-stress/high-impact option? Fondue! Everyone loves dipping fruit, pound cake, and pretzels into melted chocolate. And is there anything cuter than a kid with a chocolate-smeared smile?

We do old school Jello Poke Cakes around here for birthdays. A box of cake mix, some Jello, whipped cream & fresh fruit! We cater the different Jello/fruit flavors to whoever is having the birthday. Mine will be lemon blueberry this year!

From that pouty-lipped picture of Toby a while back perhaps you should consider stacking pretzels from the pretzel truck?? :) Doughnuts sound like a marvelous and easy idea. Hope his birthday celebration is joyous; he's a doll.

Donuts and cupcakes have always been too sweet for me and my two year old son must be the same way. He's thrown up twice from cupcakes at school and wanted nothing to do with a donut at a kid's birthday party but we both LOVE our ice cream! He can devour ice cream without a problem so an ice cream cake was what he got for his 2nd birthday and he loved it.

Love alternative birthday cakes, this is a great idea! I've made a cookie birthday cake before and I made this rainbow macaron cake for my cousin's birthday this weekend! http://afternooncrumbs.com/2013/04/macaron-cake/ :) x

I'm in the midst of figuring out a birthday cake for my soon to be 4 year old. I'm thinking of making it an activity by supplying plain cupcakes and then have the kids decorate them themselves. It might end up being kind of crazy, but I think it'll be fun!

As a kid I dreamed up my ideal cake, and ever since then either my mom or I have served it on my birthday :) It's basically a black forest trifle, although as a ten year old I thought it was very creative - cubed chocolate cake, chocolate pudding, extra cherry pie filling, and whip cream in layers. And, bonus for my mom, it's an easy one!

I made Krispy Kreme birthday cakes for a few years for my middle son. He would ask for that every year when he was about 8, 9 and 10. What's nice is that it is so easy and the kids like it more than birthday cake.

My birthday is the day after Valentine's Day so my mom always made me a heart shaped chocolate cake. When I got engaged she bought my fiance a heart shaped cake pan so now my husband makes me a cake :) My favorite recipe is off the back of the hershey's baking chocolate tin...so easy and tasty! For my daughter's first birthday I made carrot cake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. I have a soft spot for homemade cakes for birthdays (even if they're from a box!) it just seems so much more personal than something bought from a bakery.

My fiance isn't a great lover of cakes or sweet things, so last year I made his favourite- vanilla and mint cheesecake, and this year I'm going with homemade scones filled with homemade lemon curd and clotted cream. I, on the other hand, like a big rich chocolate cake!

That's so funny, I was just tidying up my office this weekend and I found a picture of me and my sister with my grandpa on his birthday with a donut "cake". We were about 5 and 8 and he looked so happy to be blowing out the candle that my mom stuck in the hole in the top donut on the pile. Such a good memory.

My son actually requested a "donut cake" for his third birthday, and this is exactly what I planned to do! But we didn't have a formal party this year and instead had a giant mexican dinner at our favorite restaurant with his grandparents, aunt and cousins. Complete with sombreros, mariachi and a sopapilla with 3 candles.

My personal favorite is this strawberry meringue cake. http://savour-fare.com/2011/06/21/swedish-midsummer-strawberry-meringue-layer-cake/Sadly, my birthday is in October, when strawberries are never, ever in season.

My personal favorite is this strawberry meringue cake. http://savour-fare.com/2011/06/21/swedish-midsummer-strawberry-meringue-layer-cake/Sadly, my birthday is in October, when strawberries are never, ever in season.

My son has to eat gluten free, so bday cakes have always been an issue. We finally hit on Strawberry shortcake with a southwest twist. I make it with cornbread, fresh strawberries and add a little chipotle to the strawberry sauce for a smokey kick and for the adults its topped off with a tequila whipped cream. It sounds weird, I know, but its quickly be come a family favorite.

My son has to eat gluten free, so bday cakes have always been an issue. We finally hit on Strawberry shortcake with a southwest twist. I make it with cornbread, fresh strawberries and add a little chipotle to the strawberry sauce for a smokey kick and for the adults its topped off with a tequila whipped cream. It sounds weird, I know, but its quickly be come a family favorite.

My little boy LOVES trains, so I made a similar one late at night before his birthday last year.... http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pxWZK0g_js8/SeRyNTyMcPI/AAAAAAAAAD0/If-vuvr1d84/s1600-h/2009-04-08a+Kopie.jpgalmost lost my nerves though, I thought it looked easier than it turned out; at least for me....bad decorator, little patience, too ambitious. It was worth it, though (;

My little boy LOVES trains, so I made a similar one late at night before his birthday last year.... http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pxWZK0g_js8/SeRyNTyMcPI/AAAAAAAAAD0/If-vuvr1d84/s1600-h/2009-04-08a+Kopie.jpgalmost lost my nerves though, I thought it looked easier than it turned out; at least for me....bad decorator, little patience, too ambitious. It was worth it, though (;

My birthday falls right around prime time for strawberries, so my husband usually makes me strawberry shortcake! In the past, I have also had ice cream cakes (I like ice cream WAY more than I like cake), german chocolate cake, and the usual store-bought ones.

Still have to say that my ultimate favorite is the one made by a guy who loves me enough to go all out each year for my special day!

This is such a great idea!! I got my husband a bakers dozen of doughnuts from Doughnut Plant for Valentine's Day and it was a huge success. Plus, as I'm sure you know, Doughnut Plant is the bombity bomb. So effing good. I told them to just pick and surprise up and it was great. Considering my husband's taste level are probably about the same as your (almost) 3 year old's... haha

Donut cakes all the way! I did this for my son and daughter's birthday. Worked especially well for her since her party was a brunch affair, bagels and donuts. What's awesome about this option is that it's cheaper than buying a sheet cake (cause I don't bake) and you get an assorted flavor mix so there's options for everyone. Get more of the donuts with sprinkles because kids love sprinkle donuts.

I love to bake and take advantage of every opportunity to so I always make a cake myself but I would probably just order vanilla cupcakes from a favorite bakery with very bright icing (red, yellow, blue, green). I don't think a toddler is worth the price of Magnolia but that is just me. If you are worried regular size cupcakes wont get finished try mini cupcakes. If you are going with donuts, get the powdered sugar ones.

Truth! Just follow the directions carefully. Baking is chemistry. You should generally follow the instructions exactly, especially if you are inexperienced. Get someone who can bake to supervise you if you want to make sure it works. And if you don't understand directions like whip egg whites into soft peaks you can actually look things like that up on YouTube now.

Same idea but with Oreos: http://homedesign.marthastewart.com/2010/08/oreo-cake-tulip-arranging-how-to.html

Probably a bit more work actually but you could easily make a toddler-sized one if Toby is in to Oreos! Off to NYC at the beginning of May though and the Donught Plant sounds like the pace to try based on all the comments!

Haha- like monique, I was going to say that an Oreo cake looks easy- http://shinyhappysprinkles.com/how-to-make-an-oreo-cake/I love Oreos. And donuts. And cake. :) But stacked donuts or Oreos look easier to me. :)

Love this idea!! My little guy adores donuts, it would make his day. One thought, try to go for quality donuts from a local bakery, instead of the boxed variety. No hydrogenated oils/artificial yuck and they usually give a price break on quantities. Happy almost 3rd birthday, Toby!

One year, when I turned 40 I asked my husband to get me my favorite ice cream: mint chip. But I wanted an ice cream cake. Little did he know he was supposed to order it ahead of time so in a bind, he called my mom (while I was busy getting a massage) and they schemed. She told him she got a gourmet mix for chocolate cookies and would bake a bunch and he could get a quart of the mint chip and they would make ice cream cookies.

Problem was when she made the mix it didn't turn out and all the individual "cookies" melted to form one big cookie while baking. So she made another one with the rest of the batter and they made a huge platter sized ice cream cookie that we cut into smaller pieces.

For birthday cakes my grandma would wrap coins in wax paper, mainly pennies and usually one nickle, and put them in the cake. It was always a contest to see who got the most 'money' at the end of their piece of cake (and the wax wrapping meant they were big enough 'presents' that you could see them in each forkful so no choking worries).

reminds me of my little sister's 8th birthday. she was one of the odd kids that don't like cake, so my mum made a big stack of her favourite sandwiches with egg and cress, stacked neatly in the form of a heart-shaped cake with carrot sticks as "candles". that cake is a legend in our household by now!

As a traditional cake lover icing eater first...I'd rather have a small birthday cake in the center of a platter of matching cupcakes.The donuts are a nice idea, but I'd still be looking for the icing cake.

This is absolutely BRILLIANT!!! As a normally less-than-successful baker, I am totally stealing this idea. Another to keep in mind are rice crispy treats. I made them WITH my five year old and her class devoured them. We live in Paris and everyone thought they we super original and yummy. The teacher and a few parents even asked me for the recipe. (LOL can you imagine that happening in the U.S.?)

My go to: FRUIT TRIFLE!! You get a little cake, you get a LOT of fruit, a little whip, a little custard...and for a more adult flare, my mum always loves to spike it with some apricot brandy ;-) Plus it looks incredible.

Not really a "different" thing, but a a few years ago for her 7th birthday The Babe had an Olympic-themed party. She wanted a cake that looked like the Olympic rings. In typical hero fashion, the Gentleman baked simple 8" round cakes, then cut circles out of the middles, freehand. They were spot-on perfect. He then pieced together the rings, making cuts where necessary, and mixed up colored frosting for each of them.

I'm not sure the Babe would let me off the hook with doughnuts, although it sounds awesome to me.

Not really a "different" thing, but a a few years ago for her 7th birthday The Babe had an Olympic-themed party. She wanted a cake that looked like the Olympic rings. In typical hero fashion, the Gentleman baked simple 8" round cakes, then cut circles out of the middles, freehand. They were spot-on perfect. He then pieced together the rings, making cuts where necessary, and mixed up colored frosting for each of them.

I'm not sure the Babe would let me off the hook with doughnuts, although it sounds awesome to me.